Foster In Texas Training

We are thrilled that you have joined the Upbring Foster In Texas (FIT) family. As part of the FIT family, you are one of a team of people who help provide a strong, healthy and positive environment for children. To best equip you in this mission, FIT provided you several training opportunities before you received your first child. Now that you have one or more children in your home, we will continue to support you with year-round training opportunities to make the most of your foster experience.

These training opportunities are held year round and facilitated through your local FIT office. The classes can be taken at your convenience and many are even available online. The staff in your local office will provide you with a training schedule and information on if and when recertification is required.

CPR and First Aid Training

FIT requires all foster parents to be certified in First Aid and CPR. This will equip you to take great care of each child in your home. We do not require you to take this course through us, but it cannot be taken as an online course. Your card/certificate should reflect that you received classroom training in First Aid, as well as infant, child and adult CPR.

STAR Training

The STAR training teaches you how best to care for your foster child in different situations. You learn about brain development, universal precautions, trauma-informed care and documentation. This course also gives you insight into how foster and adoption care affects your family and your foster child’s family.

SMART Training

The SMART training gives you deeper knowledge of trauma-informed care, providing awareness about what’s behind seemingly difficult behavior in some foster kids. It also gives you an understanding into your gut reactions to such behavior, and how to consciously respond to limit stress in the home.

Psychotropic Medication Training

Because children entering foster care have often experienced some sort of trauma, they may be prescribed psychotropic medications. This type of medication is used when a child is coping with depression, anxiety, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or something similar. This training focuses on the purpose, use and storage of psychotropic medications. It also trains you in proper documentation when these medications are administered.

Medications Administration Training

This training focuses on the proper administration, documentation and storage of medications your foster child may be need.

Medical Consent Training for Caregivers

As a foster parent, you will be responsible for providing medical consent if your child needs professional medical attention. This course will help you:

Understand your role and responsibility when making medical decisions for your child.

Consider options that don’t involve medicine before or along with the use of psychotropic medications.

Transportation Training

The transportation training course teaches you how to keep your children safe while in the car. You learn about the LATCH system, car seat requirements, and to recognize and avoid the six most common dangers of passenger safety.

Water Safety Training

This class is important, even if you don’t own a pool. In the water safety training course, you learn:

At Upbring, we recognize that children enter the system at different stages of their lives and due to varying life events. Because the types of abuse and neglect vary among children, we are committed to raising the standards and addressing the entire spectrum.

Upbring will accomplish this through an innovative continuum of services and community partnerships, each tracking progress against markers of safety, life skills, education, health and vocation, all of which are critical to breaking the cycle of child abuse.

Strategic Partner - Foundation Communities

We know that foster care placement is 34 times higher for families experiencing homelessness than the general population of same aged children. We know that more than 1 in 5 youth who age out of foster care will become homeless after 18.

Foster families are eligible to apply for financial assistance (based on individual locations).

Join their team! The Y is hiring, with lots of flexible part-time opportunities!

Strategic Partner - Phoenix House

Health. We know that children of parents with substance abuse disorders are 3 times more likely to be abused and 4 timesmore likely to be neglected, making a holistic approach to treatment and recovery optionsthat incorporate family services essential. (Learn more about Phoenix House here.)

Outpatient treatment with individual, group and family counseling for teens struggling withdrug/alcohol abuse.

Strategic Partner - Dell Children's

Health. We know that experiencing multiple traumatic childhood events – being removed from family – and toxic stress are determinants of lifelong disparities in physical and mental health. Access to high-quality, trauma-informed, integrated health care is critical.(Learn more about Dell Children’s programs here)